Peacemaker
This is the fourth episode of Vale, season 3. Written by Rainy. Read, enjoy, & comment! ''Peacemaker'' "I have a plan." That was it. No "good morning" or "hello". Fire just marched up to the Vale Squad while we were in the process of eating breakfast, a determined set to her face, and announced that she had a plan. Specklepaw choked on a sparrow feather. Minkpaw nearly spit out her vole. Daisypaw tilted her head a full ninety degrees in confusion as she stared at Fire. Deciding it was up to me to be the dignified one, I raised my chin and said, "Hello, Fire. Did you sleep well?" "Cut the crow-food," she said, dashing my charade of calmness to pieces. Indignant, I was about to retort when she continued, "I don't have time for formalities. I've been thinking-" Thinking? Not moping around the camp like a rock with big, sad eyes? I chose not to comment. "-and I've come up with a plot to get my revenge on the League." "Forgive me for this, but your plan didn't work out so well last time. Remember? You were going to try to save Ariel-" I broke off, realizing how insensitive I was coming across. Daisypaw gave me a shove, glaring at me as if to say, Shut up, or I'll claw you before Fire has a chance to. Luckily, Fire only gave me a poisonous look. "I don't need you to drive it into my mind that it's my fault my sister's gone, Breezeflight. I've been doing that enough on my own." Guiltily, I opened my mouth to apologize, but she cut me off. "Anyway, don't you understand? I have nothing to lose, whether this plan fails or succeeds. If it works, I'll avenge my sister's death. If it doesn't, I really don't care." That was a scary thought. But what could I do to convince her otherwise? "Don't you have any other family?" I said. "Yes. My father." "Where is he?" Bitterness crept into her voice. "I don't know. Hiding out, probably. It's his fault we got swept into the League at all. His fault Ariel is dead." "Oh," I said, feeling like an idiot. Seeing that I was slowly digging my own grave, Daisypaw stepped in. "We're not trying to dismiss you, Fire. All we want is to understand. Why don't you tell us what your plan is?" Eyeing us uneasily, Fire said, "I was going to, but now I have my doubts. How do I know I can trust you guys? What if you tell your leader and he tries to stop me?" Oh, well that was a new one. The rogue didn't trust us. StarClan, please help me to stop being such a jerk, I prayed. I was getting sick of my own cynicism. Wasn't that just sad? "We haven't done anything to hurt you so far, have we?" Daisypaw said soothingly. "We don't want you to have to face the League alone." "And you know that I'm a valuable source of insider information," said Fire smugly. "You're thinking of what a big help it would be if I sell out everything I know about Claron. But I've got a better idea. What if I became your double agent?" Uncertainly, I exchanged glances with my friends. "What do you mean?" "Exactly what it sounds like. I return to the League and pretend that I'm on their side." "Why would they believe you?" Specklepaw said. "They killed Ariel so that you'd suffer." "No," Fire hissed. "They killed her so that he'd suffer. My father." "That's why you blame him for her death," I realized. "And a lot more," she muttered under her breath. "Don't doubt my acting skills. I can convince even Claron and her officials that I'm on their side. I know about pretending to be someone you're not, because I've seen it and experienced it firsthand." Hesitantly, I said, "If we do agree to this plan, how would you get information back to us?" "I'd take the night-watch, up on High-Rock, and then slip out to the plains to meet with one of you. The less cats that know about it, the better. I'm guessing you'll insist on telling Oakstar and Quailfeather, but no one else can know." Puzzled, Specklepaw said, "Why do you trust the four of us?" "My choices are rather limited, and you're the choice I resent the least." "Well, how flattering," Minkpaw mumbled. "Interesting that you pick us above warriors," Specklepaw mused. I nudged him. "Speak for yourself." "Above good warriors," he corrected himself, grinning at me. This time I full-out shoved him, trying to keep a smile off my face. It felt good to joke with him; sure, things might be the tiniest bit awkward still, but I hoped in time that would fade too. At least I still had my friend. I was grateful for that. Fire watched us with a skeptical look on her face. I instantly sobered up, guessing now wasn't the time for showing off friendship. Not when this cat had just lost her only sister. Of course, her crankiness sort of made it hard to keep up an attitude of kindness towards her. Still, I felt I should at least try. "Your plan is really dangerous, Fire," Specklepaw said, bringing me back into reality. Curling her lip derisively, Fire said, "So what? I'm the one taking the biggest risk." Defensively, Specklepaw said, "I wasn't saying that because I was only concerned for myself. We wouldn't want you to get hurt either." "I already told you, I don't care what happens to me." I couldn't help but flinch. I hated hearing cats talk as if life was worthless. Especially Fire, who was so young and still had so much potential. I supposed that made me sound really old and boring, like a creaky elder criticizing the "silly young 'uns" for their carelessness, but I couldn't help it. If we went through with this plan, I wouldn't let Fire get hurt, I vowed in secret. Whether she liked it or not, I would protect her. Maybe it was the heavy weight of the dangerous plan hanging over my head, but sleep was especially elusive that night. I tossed and turned till I was sore and my nest was reduced to a flattened clump of grass. Hawkeye, cranky and sick of my fidgeting, told me that if I didn't lie still, he would throw me back into the nursery. I did my best not to move after that threat, not wanting to tick off all the other older warriors, and finally I managed to drift off into the clutches of my dreams. When I reopened my eyes, I was standing in the old SpringClan camp. You might think that was a dream come true, but it was a nightmare (literally). The place was a mess. Rogues were sprawled across the floor, snoring or exchanging crude stories full of nasty humor and vulgar language. Claron herself stood atop high-rock, her eerie, soulless eyes taking in the scene with a vain sort of pride. I felt my claws come out. I wanted nothing more than to tackle her and scream that she didn't belong atop that rock. That rock was for those who deserved it, like Oakstar. But this was just a dream. No one could see me, and it was just as well. If they could, I would be dead right now. "Breezeflight." Recognizing my father's voice, I turned to see two ghostly cats standing among the rogues. They stood out from the dirty pelts, their forms outlined in silver and their scents clean and refreshing, not rank and rotten. I rushed forward and touched noses with Cloudberry and Ravenwing. "Hi," I breathed, hardly daring that I had managed to steal another moment with my parents. "Our daughter. You're a warrior now. I can hardly believe it," my mother murmured. I pulled away, staring at her in confusion. "I don't understand how you're here. I thought StarClan had fallen." "We are... weak." Cloudberry looked troubled. "And yes, we can't stay here for long. But we're taking you with us." My heart skipped a beat. "Am I dying?" I yelped, scared out of my mind. Not that I didn't want to stay with my parents forever. But giving up the life I had was a whole other matter. "No, no, of course not. We would never cheat you of the life you're destined for, Breezeflight. For all its pain, life is so precious," said Ravenwing tenderly, licking my forehead. "Then what did you mean when you said you're taking me with you?" "It's temporary." Cloudberry laid her tail across my shoulders. Ravenwing did the same, and suddenly our surroundings dissolved. No, wait, that wasn't accurate. It was more like we dissolved. For a second, I felt my body disintegrate into stardust. When I reformed, the three of us were standing in an unfamiliar patch of grass. The plants were dead or dying underneath my paws, crackling every time I shifted my weight. The air smelled like danger, spiked with electricity and tension. "Where are we?" "I didn't want your first glimpse of this place to be like this, but... Welcome to StarClan's hunting grounds." Ravenwing dipped his head at me. Disbelievingly, I said, "Are you serious right now?" "This is what's left of StarClan's home." "I don't understand. What could harm you guys? You're safe up here," I said. "Unfortunately, that's not exactly true. StarClan is under attack." "What? Explain," I demanded. Ravenwing eyed me disapprovingly. "Mind your tone when you address your mother, Breezeflight." Frustration pulsed through me as I bit down on an angry retort. It wasn't their fault that they'd never been there for me, but what gave them the right to coddle me now? I'd survived this far without them. Surely that deserved a little respect. "How can StarClan be under attack?" I tried again, reminding myself to be patient. "I suppose I don't mean it in the literal sense. No one is clawing at our pelts or biting us," Cloudberry said. "But we're being attacked all the same. Someone is draining our power." "Your power?" I echoed, feeling stupid for not understanding. Ravenwing looked around uneasily. "Hurry," he told Cloudberry. "It isn't safe for her to be here for very long." I was about to ask him what he meant, but I realized I thought I knew. Already I was beginning to feel like someone was beginning to funnel out all my energy and spirit, sucking it straight out of my body. "Is this what you feel like all the time?" I asked. "Probably not as bad as it is for you. You're living, so this is absolutely torture for you," Cloudberry said, eyeing me worriedly, as if waiting for me to collapse. "Who's doing this?" "I wish we knew. We have our suspicions. We think that Claron is somehow linked to this, but we don't understand how. But there's a message we need you to carry, Breezeflight. Tell Oakstar that until further notice, he needs to stay out of danger. His remaining lives are void while we're too weak to sustain ourselves." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "So if he loses another life, that's it? He's gone forever?" "I'm afraid so," Ravenwing said gravely. "And we won't be able to give the next leader their nine lives." The look on my face must've been absolutely wretched, because Cloudberry whimpered and buried her face in my fur. "I'm so, so sorry, baby," she murmured. "I wish this wasn't happening. We just have no strength left. Before long, we won't be able to connect to you at all." Ravenwing stood at my other side, resting his chin on my head with his tail curled around Cloudberry. Despite the fact that I felt like everything was falling apart, for the briefest heartbeat I couldn't help thinking, This is nice. With my two parents surrounding me in their familiar scents and the warmth of their pelts, it felt like home. But it wasn't home. I didn't belong in StarClan, not yet. I had to remind myself that true home was with SpringClan and my friends back in the real world, and that that home was being threatened on all fronts. "I'll pass on the message to Oakstar," I promised my parents. "Okay. And another thing--Breezeflight? Breezeflight!" Overwhelmed and weak from the heaviness of the dark air, I stumbled and pitched forward. Ravenwing lunged forward to catch me before my head hit the ground, but I felt myself fragment into stardust just before he reached me. Next thing I knew, I was back in my own nest, staring up at the gorse thicket that sheltered the new warriors' den. Well, that was the weirdest sensation. I'd just fainted in a dream. I felt sickened. Whatever or whoever was attacking StarClan, they were extraordinarily powerful. Even after being there for a few minutes, the horrible vaccum of darkness had been enough to make me pass out. It was like everything filled with goodness and hope was being suctioned out of the realm in the sky. If StarClan fell, where did that leave us? All our history, the generations of noble warriors upholding their code and dying in honor and valor... gone. Wiped out. I had to stop it, of course. But how? The next morning, to bring back the smallest shred of normalcy into my life, Daisypaw and I went for a walk. Or rather, Daisypaw, me, and an uninvited guest--meaning Brightkit. "One circle around the camp," I told the little she-kit. "And then it's straight back to the nursery." "Fine," she grumbled, skipping alongside the both of us. "What are we talking about?" she asked in a bubbly tone. Daisypaw and I looked at each other. We'd actually been talking about Fire's plan to sabotage and spy on the League, and I'd been about to tell Daisypaw about my dream when Brightkit had arrived. But of course we couldn't tell such a young cat any of that. So I lied. "We were talking about herbs." From over the top of Brightkit's head, Daisypaw shot me a look, like, Seriously? If you're going to lie, at least don't make the both of us seem-'' "Lame," Brightkit finished my thought aloud, wrinkling her nose. "Breezeflight, you're a warrior. Aren't warriors supposed to be cool?" "That's what I always thought," Daisypaw agreed with the kit, smirking at me. I pretended to pout. "You hurt my feelings," I told Brightkit, trying to make her feel guilty. She smiled even wider and slapped Daisypaw's paw in congratulations. Huh. Kits these days. So rude. "I'm going to take this little scamp back to the camp," said Daisypaw. "Scamp and camp rhyme!" exclaimed Brightkit happily. "Yeah, yeah. Don't try to distract me," grumbled Daisypaw. "Flower? Pretty flower!" Brightkit shoved a flower in Daisypaw, poking her in the eye. Squinting blearily at a patch of grass, Daisypaw said, "Listen here, kid, if you're not going to behave-" Trying not to laugh, I said, "Um, Daisypaw? Brightkit ran away. You're talking to a clump of grass." Swearing, Daisypaw said, "Guess I've gotta go catch her. You're going to go check on Fire, aren't you?" I shuffled my paws. "Yeah. I just want to make sure the rogues haven't done anything to her. I'd feel like it'll be our fault if anything happens to her. Don't tell Minkpaw--she's convinced that we're all crazy for trusting a rogue." "I understand. See you back at camp. BRIGHTKIT, GET BACK HERE BEFORE I WHACK YOU WITH A STICK, YOU NAUGHTY CLUMP OF FUR!" Daisypaw charged off. I trotted up the rise of a small hill, giving myself a better vantage point. I could see High-Rock, and from here I could even make out the silhouettes of rogues lounging on the crevices and cliffs I knew so well. Relief flowed through me as I spotted a familiar bright orange pelt near the top of the rock. So Fire had made it safely back, and she'd even convinced Claron to put her on guard duty. Surely that was a good sign. Maybe our plan wasn't as crazy as it had seemed. Hopefully Fire could fool the rogues well enough to get them to divulge some really important information. We really could use the upperhand in something, because it felt like we were behind and fumbling in just about every battle front right now. SpringClan stood no chance of victory if we didn't take the initiative somehow. When we'd told Oakstar about our plan, he hadn't been too thrilled. "What kind of leader would I be if I let apprentices and cats who don't owe our Clan anything risk their lives in my stead?" he'd said. I had shot him a glare at those words, because I'd already, unknown to the others, told him that he had no lives left in reserve. How dare he insinuate that he should be the one risking his life. SpringClan couldn't afford to lose their leader. I was sure that that would be the final blow. My Clan would crumble and fall without Oakstar. On the other hand, I considered myself pretty dispensable. ''Now who's treating life like it's worthless? I asked myself. Shaking my head, I cast one last glance at High-Rock. With the sun setting behind it, it glowed with faint golden light, a dying beacon. It was a bittersweet, beautiful sight. I wished more than anything that I could be in Fire's position, atop that familiar place of my kithood. Never mind that Fire was there under the constant shadow of her betrayal being discovered, or that she would die if that were to happen. I would've gladly traded places and risked my life for the chance to be back in SpringClan borders. But that was a useless dream. Turning around, I headed home. The End Category:Vale